Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Announcing our 2012 writing contest on the theme of Earth

Eligibility:
. Open to all residents of British Columbia, except members of the BWS screening committee. Work must be previously unpublished, and not accepted for publication.

1. How to Enter

. Send us a complete one page work of poetry or prose (fiction, non-fiction or unclassifiable), on the theme of EARTH. The theme can be interpreted in any way you like – planet earth; mother earth; down to earth; unearth (or unearthly) ; earthquake; the far corners or the ends of the earth; or any other association that may occur to you. Work can be in any form or genre, as long as it will fit on one side of a standard 8 1/2" x 11” sheet of paper with standard margins. Entries may be single or double-spaced, word-processed or typewritten. For the sake of the judges’ eyesight, please use an easy to read font no smaller than 12 point. Clear photocopies are acceptable.

. Write your name, address, phone number and/or e-mail address on the reverse side of each entry. (Please don't put your name on the story itself. Entries will be photocopied, without identification, before they are submitted to the judges.)

. Include a fee of $5.00 for each submitted entry; or $10 for three entries. Please do not send cash. Cheques or money orders should be made payable to the Burnaby Writers' Society. (If you are sending several entries, include one cheque or m.o. to cover the total fee.) You may submit any number of entries, as long as each is accompanied by the requisite fee.

2. Judging and Prizes

. Cash prizes of $200, $100 and $50 Canadian will be awarded to the top three entries. Only one cash prize will be awarded per contestant. At the discretion of the judges, honourable mentions may also be awarded. These will receive a one-year subscription to the Burnaby Writers' Society's market and resource newsletter. The judges’ decisions will be final. If the judges feel no award is warranted, none will be given.

. Winners will be notified by September 15, 2012, and will be invited to read their winning entries at a public reading and awards night. (Entries by winners unable to attend in person will, with the author's permission, be read by a BWS member.) .

NO ENTRIES WILL BE RETURNED. For a list of winning entries, please enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope; or check the BWS website, www.bws.bc.ca , or this blog, after September 15, 2012.

. Because of the large number of submissions, the BWS cannot correspond with contestants or supply individual comments on entries. The BWS is not responsible for entries lost or damaged in the mail. All rights remain with the authors.